Emily Ford is the Programme Director for the What Works Hub for Global Education – a joint initiative supported by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), World Bank, UNICEF, USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the British Council. The Hub brings together academics, NGOs and government partners to enable and enhance learning for children in low- and middle-income countries. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, she leads the programme management function to support, facilitate and drive delivery to achieve the Hub’s mission.
Previously, Emily was Head of Programmes and Operations for Young Lives, a longitudinal research project funded through FCDO at the Department for International Development at the University of Oxford. Prior to that, she spent almost a decade at MSI Reproductive Choices working across a variety of senior programme management roles including Head of Projects, based in Malawi and Senior Manager, Global Programmes, overseeing a £62m portfolio of grants.
In addition to her professional experience, Emily holds a MA (Hons) in Arabic from the University of Edinburgh with distinction in spoken Arabic, spending significant time studying in Yemen, Lebanon and Egypt. Prior to university, Emily also spent time as a volunteer teacher in Ghana and Egypt. She is a certified AgilePM Practitioner (APMG Accredited) in addition to a trained mental health first aider.
